So, former congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney is running for president in 2008 representing the Green Party. She talked to Essence magazine in an interview regarding her run for presidency, and her issues of concern. Some of the things she talks about are issues such as why she’s running with the Green Party, reparations and reconstruction for Hurricane Katrina victims and survivors, gentrification which is a MAJOR problem in many urban areas around the country and of course President Bush.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Essence.com: Why should people consider taking a harder look at the Green Party?

Cynthia McKinney: As I travel, talking to Americans across the country, I’ve learned that there is life outside of the two-party paradigm. We have a generation of folks who watched in horror as young people protested the Vietnam War outside of the Democratic National Convention and saw how they were subsequently treated. That was a tipping point for a lot of people. Today, some feel that their votes won’t be counted because of election integrity. There are people who want to see an end to the war, and that hasn’t happened, despite the Democratic majority in Congress. So you have all these different people who have reached the same conclusion that the two-party paradigm doesn’t serve their interests anymore. But let’s not withdraw from it; let’s change it.

Essence.com: You’ve been a Democrat all your life. Why switch to Green now?

C.M.: You know, I never really got the chance to know the members of the Green Party across the country before. Now, I’m getting to know the most wonderful, idealistic, patriotic people who have made me feel at home. It’s just wonderful to be with people who have thought through the process and how we can work to make it better.

Essence.com: How many votes do you need to be considered?

C.M.: The Green Party needs 5 percent of the votes in the 2008 election to be institutionalized as a third force in American politics.

Essence.com: Why should we consider voting for you?

C.M.: If people feel deep within their hearts that there is still something structurally wrong with the limited choices we have in our two-party system, then I want people to say let me be a part of the 5 percent that changes the structure of our country. Right now, public policy is made in a room where the door is locked. The people are outside; only two representatives [Democrats and Republicans] are in that room hammering out policy. Somebody gave the corporate lobbyists a key so they can come and go as they please. The Green Party will open the door for people who care about impeachment, the war, civil liberties, and economic justice. We will pull up a chair and be a part of the conversation. You’ll get different results and people won’t feel as if they were marginalized out of the process.

Asked why and where she got the courage to try to impeach President Bush, she responded with the following:

C.M.: You can’t be afraid to search for truth, find the truth and then fight injustice. The great people of the world like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., like Rosa Parks, like Patrice Lumumba, stood up for their country and the value of the people. But in doing so, you have to be prepared to fight the injustice that comes along with the knowledge that you gain.

I am very excited for her, and for the idea of having choices out of the normal two party paradigm that we’re so used to in the United States. While I’m still a supporter for Obama, it’s good to know that I have another option of someone I can vote for, just in case I change my mind, or if somehow Billary beats Obama. But she’s not simply a secondary choice for me. While I like them both, he has a chance to win, and I can be part of that. However, it’s still too early to decide where my vote will go. Time will tell.